Fighting uphill against public opinion, opponents of a clean-energy future are turning to good old-fashioned prairie populism. Politically, during a recession, it might make sense to stir up blame-the-rich fears against any transformative change. But the the latest William-Jennings-Bryantesque salvos against climate science are laughable, especially considering the source. The front group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) awkwardly tried to crash the Copenhagen conference last week but were crashed themselves by a band of youth activists ("Hitler Youth," according to one AFP speaker). AFP screeched: the following defense, and tacit acknowledgment that carbon dioxide is bad in the process:
"Eco Hypocrites Fly in Jets Across Atlantic to Attack AFP in Copenhagen"
Mind you, AFP is bankrolled by billionaire David Koch, whose Koch Industries owns a large network of carbon dioxide producing oil refineries and one of the largest timber company in America, which in turn is one of the largest contributors to the loss of carbon-sink capacity. The more comical element, though, is that Koch himself owns at least 12 private jets, according the FAA. It's not a new strategy. As I noted in the Boston Globe last week, Koch funds various hateful tea party efforts across the country, all the while toasting himself as the savior of the New York opera scene. Similarly, Newt Gingrich's front group American Solutions for Winning the Future (ASWF) has an ad later this week proclaiming that "We the People" oppose any climate change deal arranged in Copenhagen. Of course, by "We the People," ASWF represents one of the biggest coal companies in America.
If Sarah Palin is any bellwether for conservative attacks, her latest Facebook whack against Gov. Schwarzenegger is dripping with this very sort of anti-green populist rhetoric.
--Lee Fang
